Mass Hangovers
by SiddownAnShaddup
Summary: Matt is ripped from his ordinary life and dumped into the world of Mass Effect with little more than his smokes and a bad hangover. After promptly determining to help Shepard he discovers that things are changing and he may be a little early... AU, S/I RATED M
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note_: Hey all you possible readers, this is my first attempt at self insert fiction, so please feel free to drop feedback, criticisms, whatever so that I can work on improving my writing. Plus feedback helps keep us writers going.

Oh God, my fucking head. Stark sunlight is piercing through the curtains, forcing me to roll over in a vain attempt to ignore it. _'Fuck it,' _I think, '_may as well just get up and be miserable rather than lying here doing nothing.' _Clawing my way out of bed, I acutely notice that I still reek of alcohol and cigarettes from last night's partying. '_God, shower time it is. I would say never again, but that would be a filthy lie wouldn't it Matt?'_ Hung-over me is more sarcastic than usual it seems.

Two strong cups of coffee later, (no food though, who needs breakfast when you can have caffeine?) some self-reflection in the shower, clothes that don't smell like tobacco and I'm ready to head out and do… '_Shit, nothing as usual. You don't even have work today, so aside from videogames or procrastinating on your university work, you've got free time. Which leaves… hanging out with your mates. Sound planning Matt, ten outta ten.' _Snatching my keys off the desk, I roll out, sucking in the humid air outside. Summer in New Zealand is pretty nice mind you, but sometimes it helps if the air conditioning in your car works. Cresting the top of the path, my shitty Mitsubishi Lancer awaits, dents, rust and all - Glorious.

With only the slightest coughs of protest, the Lancer chugs to life, I slap it in first and off we roll. Ten minutes later I'm steaming along the highway, heat waves conjuring small shimmering mirages in front of me '_Damn, today really is going to be a scorcher.' _Checking my mirrors, I notice a Skyline coming up fast behind me '_Shit he's going fast, I'm already doing 120kph, hope he doesn't do anything dumb.' _ Boy does he deliver on that. Without even indicating, he swings onto the incoming lane to pass me… just as a goddamn truck comes barreling over the horizon towards him.

'_You're an idiot!' _I scream internally, immediately slowing so that he can get past me and into the lane again. Except he doesn't move into the lane, instead choosing to slam his own brakes on tires screaming as they lock and lose traction. With things spiralling down the proverbial fucking rabbit hole, I speed back up to get some distance from this lunatic. At that point his car _crunches_ into mine with a finality that sends me cold. The forward inertia I have does exactly as physics intended, and keeps going, but now my car is slideways, tipping, rolling. I'm being pulled out of my seat as the car throws me around, I only have time to yell a single "Fuck" before I brutally realise '_Oh god, the truck.'  
_

* * *

A cool breeze tickles my skin, goose bumps forming on my arms '_Should have dressed warmer, you egg. Good thing you always keep a jacket in your car.' _**Wait**, my car! I jerk upwards, fully awake and alert, adrenaline pumping as they events of the last sixty seconds come rushing back to me. Hands clammy and shaking, I suddenly come to a realisation; '_I'm alive and with no good reason or explanation for it. Well shit.' _Cracking my neck, I take in my surroundings. A grimy alleyway or avenue of sorts, trash and other detritus scattered haphazardly around. Surprisingly, the ground isn't concrete or asphalt, but instead… an alloy of some kind. Glancing upwards, I don't recognise any of the stars above, let alone the buildings around me.

'_Time to take stock then, I'm still in the same clothes I was wearing when I… crashed. Wallet, phone, key, smokes and a lighter – all set for a day out on the town.' _Straightening out my tee-shirt, I realise that with no idea of where to go, I can't exactly get any more lost. A crash rings out behind me, making me snap around, hands raised defensively. I can hear yelling, definitely not English though, and definitely coming closer. Taking cover in an alcove, I peer out, quickly **snapping** back in as the supersonic crack of gunfire rips past me. '_Holy shit'_ is all I have time to think before a figure flies past me, firing wildly behind them_. _Four large men are chasing this person, dressed… strangely in rather odd clothing, wielding pistols of their own.

A bullet strikes true, catching one of them in the neck – he falls to the ground gurgling as blood pools around him. His comrades don't even glance back at him, simply shifting their postures to minimise their profiles. "This is a dead end," one of them barks "there's no escape for the blue bitch now!" The thugs (yes stereotyping I know) close in, taking turns at providing suppressing fire. A wet _smack_ echoes out, followed by a pained _female _scream. '_Shit that was a chick they were chasing. I've got to help somehow!'_

Among my friends and me, we have exchanged many pieces of priceless advice and information, covering everything from homework to girls. But out of all that, there is one overriding motto that is upheld: "Don't be a bitch." Gritting my teeth, I stalk out of cover and creep over to the dead man, my stomach churning a bit at the smell of blood, piss and shit – obviously he'd lost control of his faculties before he died. Scooping up the pistol he was holding, I gave it a quick inspection. It looked nothing like any firearm I'd ever seen or handled, but at least it had an obvious trigger, plus he was shooting it earlier so the safety had to be off. '_If the clip is empty I'm fucked though. Boy that would be embarrassing.'_

Gunfire is still being exchanged in sporadic bursts between the girl and the three thugs, their attention centred on each other. My Converse All-Stars convey me silently to them, holding the pistol in a firm two handed grip I point it at the back of one of their heads. Point, pull, repeat. Two sharp cracks sound out as the thug jerks violently, rag dolling to the ground. Swinging around, I point the gun at the next thug, just as he is turning towards me, surprise writ large on his scarred features. I fire wildly, planting a spread of slugs into his torso, until the pistol makes a sharp _beeping _noise and becomes unresponsive. The last man lifts his pistol at me, only to have it shot out of his hands by fire from the end of the alley, that girl is obviously still in the game.

Unfazed by the loss of his weapon, he charges right at me, dropping his shoulder like a rugby player would lead into a tackle. Unwilling to meet him head on, I roll out of the way, resulting in him skidding around and winding up to deliver a massive punch. Wanting to end the fight immediately, I step inside his guard and elbow him right in the nose, sending him recoiling, allowing me to kick hard at him. His hands shoot out and grab my leg mid kick, sending me off balance and to the floor with a hard _thud_, his face twisted into an ugly grin exacerbated by the blood oozing from his nose. His hands close around my neck, crushing me, I can't breathe.

Spots and sparks start to dot my vision as I beat weakly at his arms, time seeming to slow as I realise that I'm going to die for the second time in twenty minutes. A _crack_ rings out, as the man's head spurts red mist and he falls sideways. I hear footsteps running toward me, and just as darkness starts to claim my mind I see the face of the girl that I (helped I guess) save. Concern and worry is written into her features, as is the fact that she is… Blue. '_Where am I and why the fuck am I seeing Asari from a videogame?' _are the final thoughts that cross my mind before I black out.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Hello again, I can only write in small blocks before life claims me back again, but here's another extension to my story. I'll try to update as often as I can, but things probably won't happen on the weekends as I have work and parties to go to._

'_I really need to stop waking up with a pounding head.' _I groan out loud and rub my eyes drearily, trying to make sense of my surroundings. I'm in a dimly lit room, ensconced in a damn cosy bed. "Good, you're awake," a voice calls out from the doorway "I hope you don't mind, but our medical scans showed that you didn't have a translator, so we took the liberty of implanting one." Upon hearing this, I notice a faint itch behind my ear, presumably from this translator. A face, a blue face pops around from the door frame "Good day, my name is Rielenne. You helped me in that alleyway earlier today."

'_That's a damn Asari, like from fucking Mass Effect. What in the fuck is going on?'_ Deciding to play it cool, I clear my throat "Hey, my name's Matt, glad I was able to help you out, it looked like you were in a tight spot there, though to be honest I got lucky with the first two and had my ass handed to me at the end. Though I did see you get shot, you look like you're doing just fine considering that."

"Yeah, it stung like a bitch but biotic barriers help," '_Alright biotics now? Another tick for the "I'm trapped in Mass Effect" theorie.' "_and hell yeah that guy was gonna end you had I not stepped in. You at least looked mildly competent with that pistol, did you learn to shoot somewhere?" She had fully walked into the room now, and yes, she was definitely an Asari. Damn cute too, curves in the right places, no hair was weird though. '_Focus you twat. Learning to shoot though? Forged in the fires of Counter-Strike baby.'_

When in doubt, tell enough truth to sound viable; "Nah, no formal combat training, just some recreational target practice with friends. This may sound odd, but umm... Where am I?" Hopefully I didn't make her too suspicious with a question like that, but I felt like I really needed to know. Her eyes widened slightly, obviously I _had _made her suspicious. Rielenne's fingers drummed out a staccato beat on the grip of the pistol she had on her hip, something I hadn't noticed while I was too busy checking her out. Being a guy has these drawbacks sometimes.

Rielenne pulled up a seat, reclining back and informing me, "I can't give you the exact location for... security reasons, but I can tell you that we are still in Nos Astra." I blinked again '_Nos Astra, Illium. Essentially Noveria for Asari. Huge mercenary group presence if the games are anything to go by.'_ "Now I am grateful for your assistance, but I would like to know how you came to be in an area sealed off by the Blue Suns. Especially wearing such... different and distinctive clothing."

'_Oh God the future hates tee shirts.' _"Do you want the truth, or some bullshit that I can cook up?" I queried, eliciting a grin from her. "I can't tell you much more than the fact that I had way too much to drink last night, because I distinctively remember starting my bender out of Nos Astra. Must have been one hell of a bar hop. Waking up in that alleyway to you getting chased was singularly unpleasant. You have any idea of how much gunfire fucks with people who have hangovers?" I finished off with a shit-eating grin, sitting up in the bed and folding my arms.

Her face was blank for a moment, then Rielenne burst into laughter "Goddess, I should party with you sometime, you'd give the Sisterhood a run for their money!" Right then, it clicked. The Sisterhood was part of the Eclipse mercenary group '_What more proof do I need? I'm definitely trapped in the Mass Effect universe for some reason. If that's the case, I've played through the games plenty of times, I'm sure what i know could come in handy with helping Shepard fight the Reapers. Assuming I can even find him... or her." _Rielenne cleared her throat loudly "Matt, you there? You've been spaced out for almost a minute."

'_Goddamn, stop interrupting me during my world shaking revelations please. I'd better be pretty open with her, I need to make allies.' _I smile at her, saying "Sorry, I was just putting two and two together. I take it that you're Eclipse then?" She simply fixes me with a stare and gives a small nod. "The Sisterhood comment kinda gave it away. Look, I'm going to be straight with you, I don't know Nos Astra and I sure as hell don't have any money or a job to speak of to get me off this rock. Got any jobs going?' '_What if she says yes and Shepard just kills me as another Eclipse flunky? The levels of irony would just be too much.'_

"Actually I was meaning to ask you about that. You see, you actually weren't too bad in the fight - aside from passing out the moment things get to the kinky choking." I can't help but laugh at that one '_The future has humour, praise the sun!'_ "Training is going to be rather informal. You seem sharp, so I'd like to have you as a team leader. We have a range, gym, everything in this compound. This will be your room, you have free roam over most of the base, except for doors marked with red lights. Those are locked for a reason." Finishing her recruitment spiel, she leans forward in the chair "So, how about it?"

Hauling myself out of the admittedly too nice bed, I walk over to her and hold out my hand. She hesitates a little, obviously something so... Human is as alien to her as she is to me. Still, she takes it firmly and I tell her "We have a deal, but you have to tell me one thing first." She looks back at me curiously "Where's the smokers' area?"


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: _This will probably be my last update until next week, and I truly appreciate if anyone has read this far into the story. Please, please, please leave a review if you have the time, they really do help motivate me to write. Critique is more than welcome too. Until then, peace out!

Holding my cigarette loosely between my fingers, I exhale and lean back into the wall, idly watching skycars flit past the balcony of the compound. Huge cruisers and frigates power in and out of the docks below me, Element Zero causing their engines to leave faint blue contrails behind them as they begin their ascent into space. '_I'm not in Kansas anymore it seems,' _I muse, '_Hell, if the Mass Effect games are anything to go by, humanity is a brand new species marching noisily into a society that has already existed for thousands of years.' _putting out my filthy cancer stick, I glance at the small gun-metal wristband that Rielenne gave me; "_Oh you don't have one?" she said, a genuine look of surprise on her face, "Here, it's just a basic civilian model, but it should be able to cover all the basics."_

Turning it over, I slip it over my wrist onto where I would usually keep my watch on. I had taken my watch off and slipped it in the desk in my room, wearing an archaic timepiece might seem off but if I just kept it I could make up some bullshit about it being a family keepsake. Holding my wrist up, I tap the 'face' of the band and the orange glow of an omni-tool lights up. Excited, I play with it, customising settings on the way back to my room. Curious about what the time is, or even how time is measured in an intergalactic society, I tap on a small 'clock' icon on the corner of the display. A pop-up asks if I'd like it in Earth standard time (which I am very grateful for) and I quickly click yes. At this point I stop cold. The time reads '_21:58, Saturday 10th of January, 2178.'_ Feeling numb, I realise that I am in big trouble. '_Mass Effect begins in 2183, I'm in the Mass Effect universe and I am five years early. How the fuck am I supposed to make my fifteen smokes last for five years?'_

* * *

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

Glancing over the sights of my rifle, I inspect my handiwork. Ahead, three very dead training dummies stare back at me with neat groupings of slugs in their heads and chests. Straightening up from my crouch, I feel a pair of eyes on me. Turning, I see a slender Human girl, probably in her early twenties, leaning against the wall of the shooting range, a slight smirk gracing her lips. She's not a bad looker, but very pale and with mousey brown hair '_A lot of people must have grown up on ships, without ever having tanned from the sun.' _I clear my throat and greet her, "Hey there, I'm Matt. Nice to meet you." holding my hand out towards her.

She returns the grip and answers me in what could almost be a watered down but still faintly Italian accent, "I'm Hallie, explosives tech for this team that Rielenne is putting together." She looks me up and down, obviously evaluating me, saying "No offense though, but you don't look very badass mercenary. Not even military or C-Sec for that matter. I don't doubt that you're competent, or you wouldn't be here, especially gunning for the leadership role of this team. What's your story?" I rack up the rifle, mentally sorting my story as to sound believable.

Turning back to Hallie, I prepare my lies and half-truths "You're right, I'm not from any military or police backgrounds. Hell, I'm only twenty. I'm from Earth actually, not so long ago I was just another university student who was behind on his work. I found myself traveling, and through some very odd events, I find myself here on Illium with no job and no money to leave. I happened to meet Rielenne and help her in a tough spot; and here I am." Picking out a new rifle, this one an Avenger still stamped with Systems Alliance markings, I walk back to the firing booths, calling back to Hallie "I'm brutally aware of my lack of formal training, so I'm putting in a lot of time to build some skills and hopefully not be useless in whatever Rielenne is doing."

Slapping the door panel to open it, Hallie gives me one last look "Someone who is game enough to admit their own faults and improve on them is someone who is worth listening too. Maybe Rielenne isn't as high on Red Sand as I thought." The door hisses shut behind her and I take up a firing position, calling up new targets. Flipping the safety off, I resume hosing my imaginary foes downrange.

Walking out from the range, I decide to head towards the kitchen to fix myself some munchies. The entire compound was a multi-storied affair, with a huge communal kitchen and cafeteria occupying the middle floor. As far as I'd seen, the entire place was nearly devoid of life, with nothing but a few Asari handling administration and some Turian guards. However, over the last five days, more and more people had filled the compound, congregating in small groups and talking in low tones around the tables. These were probably the various teams that Rielenne was putting together, but for what I had no idea yet. Idly making some toast and cursing the absence of Vegemite, I take a seat at one of the tables and work at a kink in my shoulder. Out of the blue, a Turian drops heavily into the seat opposite me, stating with disgust, "Huge damn facility and not a bottle of Tupari. What a tragedy."

Chuckling, I return his banter, "They were probably worried that some idiot human would have one and die of a bad dextro-amino reaction."

He shoots back, "Yes, Humans have issues with opening things they shouldn't. Mass Relays, for example."

I laugh openly at this, "Hey, we just met, let's not start burning fleets shall we? My name's Matt. Been here for a couple of weeks now just shooting at targets and looking at funny shit on the extranet."

He nods at me, responding, "Name's Sarko. Rielenne assigned me to your team as your close quarters specialist. You're not so bad Human, don't let the pressure of command get to you and I'm sure you'll do fine." Sarko returns his focus to whatever dextro food he was eating and I notice Hallie step into the cafeteria. Spotting me, she makes a beeline to the table and drops down unceremoniously. Glancing upwards from his food, Sarko mutters "Spirits, it's the damned pyromaniac Human again. I was hoping not to have to work with you again."

Hallie puts on wounded airs and replies, "What kind of greeting is that, Sarko my old comrade? I only destroyed one small warehouse to keep the Blood Pack distracted."

"By warehouse you mean the barracks building for the base, and by destroyed you mean firebombing it then meeting the burning Vorcha outside with antipersonnel mines and a Spirits-damned flamethrower." Upon hearing this, I crack a super wide smile '_On an out of ten scale, that rates as napalm.' _Sarko continues his story; "So instead of the mission going quietly, that 'distraction' as you put it simply pulled every single Blood Pack member in that half of the city to try and kill us."

Hallie simply glanced down and quietly stated, "They were only _small_ firebombs."

* * *

**SIX MONTHS LATER**

"Hallie, lay down a smoke screen to give us some cover! Sarko, come in with me to finish them up close!" Yelling at my team, I turn and run in a zigzag pattern up the cratered hill, Sarko on my heels as Hallie fires smoke canisters from her grenade launcher. Reaching the bunker at the top, we bound over the lip and into a trench network, hosing the defenders with fire from our Avenger rifles. Coming up to the bunker door, we take position on either side, waiting for Hallie to catch up. As soon as she jogs up I say "Breaching charges on the door, followed by flashbangs then a sweep for VIPs. Ready?"

"Ready." They echo. I hold my hand up, counting down by fingers; three, two, one. A deafening _whump _sounds as the door rocks, buckles then crumples inwards, hitting an unfortunate Batarian who was standing too close - leaving him as little more than a smear '_Sup bro, heard you like jam?'_. Sarko and I arm two flashbangs and toss them in, waiting for them to detonate and following in with shotguns poised for action. Four dazed Batarians are holding their heads, bleeding from the nose and eyes as the dust starts to settle. I quickly duck in and floor two of them with the butt of my shotgun, noting Sarko and Hallie following up with the remaining two. Snapping biotic-inhibiting handcuffs onto the prisoners, we make copies of the files on the various computer terminals onto OSDs while sweeping the room for any more files or items of interest. I pocket a datapad from the Batarian-door hybrid on the floor, plus various other datapads strewn across the desks in the room._  
_

Signalling to the team to wrap it up, I radio Rielenne, our operations chief "Cyclops, this is Hydra. Bunker is secure, four VIPs captured alive, one deceased. Intel secured and waiting on extraction. Out."

The communication link crackles as she replies, "Hydra, this is Cyclops. Extraction is confirmed, well done. Out." The scenery around us fades to a dull grey, and i reach up and remove my helmet, triggering an end to the simulation. Yawning and stretching out, I see Sarko and Hallie climbing out from the other training simulators, and exchange a high-five with Hallie and an approving nod with Sarko.

Fixing a grin on my face, I beam at them "Well, that was the final sim down guys, looks like we're going to be able to get out of this hole after all!" For the last six months, my team, Team Hydra had been training together, eating together and storming the bars of Nos Astra together. After out first month in the compound, Rielenne had finally told us all what we were gathered together for - to make a network of combat ready squads for the Eclipse to insert into hotspots to retrieve intelligence, collect VIPs and protect targets. I had also been quietly trying to research any information on Shepard, but had gotten nothing but classified Alliance extranet locations. It was frustrating, but I had time. However, I wasn't sure if I could even survive my new line of work long enough to meet up with the Commander.

Rielenne sauntered into the simulation room, greeting us with a predatory smile, "Congratulations, Team Hydra. You have passed the final test on your way to becoming field operatives. I'm sure you're looking forward to some action, and I have an assignment lined up already for you." She waved her omni-tool and brought up a large projection of a moon, "This is an intelligence recovery mission, the Eclipse needs you to gather information on Batarian fleet patrols and movements, so we can more easily slip past them when moving our... goods. This, however, is a huge Batarian military staging point, so to help us out we've struck a deal with the Systems Alliance, who have got the Batarian Hegemony on their shit-list."

'_A moon, why does a Batarian moon seem so familiar?' _I cough, signalling I have a question. Rielenne nods at me and I ask "What's the name of this moon we have to storm?"

"I wouldn't exactly say that you'd have to storm it," Rielenne replies "our intel says that the resistance should be light, they won't be ready for an assault from the Alliance. It's name is Torfan."

I fix Rielenne with a sad stare, recalling what I could about the origin story from the game; '_Torfan, an assault which turned into a bloodbath, with Commander Shepard losing over three quarters of his or her assigned troops. This is going to be a rough ride. Couldn't I just get a nice and easy Elysium for once?'_


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note:_ Hey guys, I'm back once again with another chapter for ya! This one is mainly filler and character development, but it's all building up to Torfan, which I have SO MANY ridiculous ideas sketched out for. I'm warning you now though, Torfan is gonna be a dark chapter, and a long one too. Hope you enjoy this one guys, don't forget to leave a review if you have the time!

'_It just had to be fucking Torfan didn't it?' _Raising my head up from where I'd planted it in my hands, I returned my attention the briefing Rielenne was giving us;

"One month ago, we intercepted Blood Pack transmissions from the moon of Torfan, mentioning how they have been hired to provide extra security for the large bunker complex on Torfan. Upon further investigation, we discovered that this moon has been the staging area for Batarian pirate and slaving operations for years. Both the Skyllian Blitz and the destruction of Mindoir are linked to forces originating from Torfan, plus we have found evidence of the Hegemony providing financial and material support to these pirates and slavers. The Systems Alliance is pissed about Elysium, so they're bringing the heavy hitters. The SSV Everest plus its full escort group is coming to Torfan, and we are hitching a ride. Your objective is to infiltrate the complex during the attack and retrieve the information - we're looking for star maps, troop movements, possible mining sites. Anything that could prove useful to us or the Systems Alliance you take. Any questions?"

'_Rielenne sure is informal socially, but when it comes to making credits she's all business.' _Sarko raises a hand, asking "Where are we going to be deploying from, and how are we handling logistics for extraction?"

"You will be joining Alliance forces on the SSV Everest for the assault, and the Alliance will be coordinating your insertion and extraction. We're going to pick you back up from Arcturus station once the mission is done. Anything else?" Shaking our heads, we make our way to leave the briefing room and Rielenne calls out behind us "You leave in two hours! Be ready, and good luck."

Gathering in the armoury, we snap on our form-fitting hardsuits. Unlike usual Eclipse armour, these aren't bright yellow, but instead are a dull grey, with the Eclipse insignia and our team logo - a three headed dragon - picked out in yellow. We all pick out our weaponry, mine being an M7 Avenger, M3 Predator and the M23 Katana. A basic loadout to be sure, but I had quickly discovered that unlike the games, access to high-end weaponry was difficult and very expensive. I look over at Hallie, who is stuffing a backpack full of explosive charges and then to Sarko, who is lovingly holding a shotgun with a gaze that borders on disturbing and I crack a little smile '_As ready as we'll ever be.'_

* * *

Throughout my playthroughs of the Mass Effect games, I'd never quite appreciated the sheer scale of the Mass Relays. Approaching one now in a comparatively tiny frigate, I can only look in amazement at it. In the back of my mind, however, niggles the knowledge that it was the Reapers that built these, simply providing paths for the galaxy to build around - allowing harvests to happen with brutal efficiency. "Matt, you alright? You look really worried." Hallie places a reassuring hand on my shoulder, raising an eyebrow at me.

"A little worried, I'll admit. I've got a bad feeling about Torfan, I don't think it's going to be an easy cake-walk like we were told. I can't exactly explain it to you, but be ready for anything down there." In truth, I am very worried. This is going to be the real thing, I'm going to have to fight and kill other sentient beings, with families and homes. I didn't lose much sleep over the two thugs I killed when I first arrived in the Mass Effect universe, but I was so jacked up on adrenaline and excitement over seeing a whole new world that it didn't really sink in. The other thing that was eating at me was my lack of foreknowledge about events on Torfan. The origin stories written by Bioware were always deliberately vague, allowing you to 'create your own story' in your mind around the events you chose. I had nothing to go on to help me with Torfan, short of the outline that a lot of people were going to die for little more gain than sending the Batarians a message.

"I'm not going to start doubting you now, but don't get to hung up about it. The Alliance is going to crack down hard on these slavers, I'm sure they're bringing out all the heavy hitters for this. Hell, we're even getting a fucking dreadnought!" Hallie reassures me enthusiastically, waving her hands for extra emphasis.

'_Too bad it's the oldest dreadnought in the fleet. Something still doesn't add up about this though, why do we have to go in to retrieve this information? Couldn't the Alliance just get it themselves and forward it to us? Damn I'm over thinking this.' _I smile at Hallie, responding "Yeah you're right, let's get ready for the jump, we're about to hit the relay."

Closing into the huge structure, the blue light within the swirling rings starts to glow brighter. For the briefest of moments, everything is still, then the stars bend around us as we transcend light speed itself. It's all I can do to look out the viewport in wonder, muttering to myself "Fuck man, space is cool."

"God, what are you, twelve? It's like it's your first time in space or something." Shaking my head at Hallie's burn, all I can do is smile.

* * *

Stepping aboard the SSV Everest is something completely different to traveling on our private Eclipse frigates. Everything is _sharp _and _neat_ in a way that can only be military. Being escorted through the operations deck towards the bridge, Alliance staff give the three of us dirty looks, most likely labeling us as 'filthy mercenaries' or whatever other insults the Navy gives to poor schmucks like us. Leading us through a bulkhead conveniently labeled 'Bridge,' we walk into a large room, bustling with activity yet at the same time quiet and orderly. Huge screens ('Haptic' displays they were called, as I'd discovered) displaying rolls of data and diagnostics we attended to by techs and officers. In the centre of the room, A powerfully built man was standing, hands clasped behind his back, seeming to enforce productivity by his sheer presence. '_Let's play a game of pick out the boss, shall we?' _I deadpan to myself.

The marines escorting us come sharply to attention, barking out "Major Kyle Sir! The independent contractors are aboard." I'm sure whether I should be at attention either, but considering that I'm not part of the military, I feel like it's not needed.

Kyle turns and eyes the three of us up, lingering his gaze on Sarko, who shifts uncomfortably. It's understandable, as an alien aboard another species' vessel, he would feel out of place. Especially because the First Contact War hadn't done any favours for Turian-Human relations. "Welcome aboard the Everest my friends, I'm Major Kyle, strategic commander for this operation." Kyle's reception of our team is much warmer than what I had expected, so I decide to offer a handshake, which Kyle returns with a crushing grip. '_Good God, what do they feed you people?'_

"Thank you for having us aboard Major, I feel it will be a pleasure to work with you. My name is Matt Owens, this is Hallie Giona and Sarkinus Tavian" I figure that a professional approach is the best one here. "May I ask where we will be bunking? I'm sure the team will be happy to be rid of these armour cases and luggage."

Kyle nods, "Of course, I'll show you there myself in just a moment. First though, let me introduce you to our Tactical Commander, who will be with you on the ground." Kyle taps on his omni-tool, presumably making a call; "Lieutenant Commander Shepard? If you're not too busy ripping into the marines, could you please come up to the Bridge? Thank you." My gut tightens, '_So Shepard is here after all.'_ as Kyle focuses back on us, saying "Shepard is a tactical genius, plus absolutely savage in a fight. This is her first large scale command though, but I'm sure everything will go off without a hitch."

'_Goddamn, why does everyone keep jinxing this fucking mission? Is Murphy's Law not a thing in the future?'_ I open my mouth to ask about battle plans, but I'm cut off by a soft voice behind us; "Reporting as requested sir. I presume these are our... independent contractors?" Turning slowly, I see a woman in the doorway to the Bridge, leaning against the frame with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. Simply from that recognisable posture, I know right away that this is Shepard. She is dressed in a standard Alliance BDU, black hair tied up and in contrast to her pale skin. Despite her obvious physique and fitness, she is actually shorter than what I had expected. A faint scar runs up from her jawline, leading up to her right eye. Said eyes are her most distinctive trait, a vibrant blue, but at the same time they are hard and calculating, as if assessing each of us as threats.

"Shepard will be directly working with you on Torfan, you will be attached to her usual Special Forces squad." Kyle informs us, then nods at Shepard, "Commander, can you take the deck please? I'm going to show our guests to their quarters." Kyle strides off through the doorway, Shepard standing aside for him. We move to follow him, but Shepard closes with me and points a finger to my chest;

"This is going to be a military operation, under my command and mine alone. I won't allow you to slow me down. Am I understood?" Her tone is cold and businesslike, face displaying no emotion. I say nothing, merely nodding and filing out of the room. I'm unsure of what to make of Shepard, she's obviously not warm and inviting, but she doesn't have to be to make the right decisions. I'm aware, however, that down the track I want to be on the Normandy alongside her. Maybe this is my chance to prove my worth.

"That scary chick had it in for you Matt, wonder what about you pissed her off so much" Hallie teases me with a grin.

"She looked mean enough to wreck a Krogan if she put her mind to it." Sarko chimes in from the side. He's been oddly silent aboard the ship, maybe he feels more uncomfortable than I thought on here.

"She's not quite how I expected her to be..." I muse to myself, not realising I said it aloud.

"Have you met her before? You seemed rather shocked to see her." Hallie queries, giving me a questioning look.

"Getting jealous? Nah, she just looked like... Someone I once knew. I tell you though, I have a feeling that she's going places. Who knows where she'll be in five years."

She shoots back, "Man you really are hung up on her."

"I'll bet you a thousand credits that she ends up a Spectre."

Hallie scoffs loudly at me; "A Spectre? You're delusional, humans are barely tolerated on the Presidium, let alone having a chance of making Spectre-hood. You are so on for that bet."

It's all I can do not to burst into a fit of giggles, "I'm more than happy to take your money!" K nowing the future is a beautiful thing.

"You still seem really into her though." Hallie needles, giving me a small elbow to the ribs.

"She has a damn fine butt, what right do I have to ignore that?" I retort cheekily, earning a sigh from Hallie and a shake of the head.

"I can't argue with you there, she really does." She says wistfully, earning a scoff from Sarko and a raised eyebrow from me. Hallie raises her hands in mock surrender, asking "Wait, so it's not okay when I do it? Fucking double standards in this society."


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: _This chapter was damn hard to write. Blah blah blah please review. Also, this chapter has some pretty nasty scenes in it which probably justify the M rating I gave this story, just saying. I really appreciate all the support I've gotten already for this story, which just started as me daydreaming a few chapters of my own S/I at work.

* * *

We aren't allowed to smoke aboard ships. This simple fact has me pacing through the corridors, searching for something to kill the time. Upon hassling an unfortunate crewman, I discover that there is a practice range on the vehicle deck. With nothing better to do, I head on down to work on my aim some more.

Pumping round after round into targets is oddly soothing, allowing me to take my mind off the impending fight ahead of me. A figure pulls up beside me, firing a pistol one-handed. Glancing at their groupings, I'm embarrassed to see that their shots are more accurate than mine, while one-handed too. Turning to me, I see that the figure is actually Shepard, watching me with those cold eyes. Surprisingly, she says in a kind tone, "Your aim isn't half bad, but you need to work on your stance. You're holding your rifle far too tight, which causes your hands to shake minutely, throwing you off a little. Try loosen up a bit."

Lowering my rifle and setting it down, I respond "Thanks Shepard, I suppose it's a little obvious that I'm hella new to this."

Shepard cocks her head, "Hella new? Where are you from anyway?"

I mentally kick myself for using colloquialisms from the previous century, not to mention ones only heard in Australia or New Zealand. Grinning sheepishly, I say "Sorry, slang from New Zealand. Can really throw people off sometimes."

"Sorry for coming down hard on you earlier, I was in a shitty mood after meeting the marines that we picked up for this mission. They're so green they have saplings growing out of them." Shepard leans back into the wall, a frown on her face, "In fact, nothing about this mission makes much sense. We want to crush the Batarians on Torfan, but instead I have three hundred fresh recruits and the oldest ships in our fleet." She continues her rant "Oh yes, we have a dreadnought, but only with an escort a third of the usual size. We're being set up to fail this, I smell politics, and I am not happy."

"What do you think our chances are then?"

"Bad. The only thing we have plenty of is intel, which tells us this should be a cake-walk."

"But you don't trust it?"

"I don't trust anything."

Shepard turns and makes for the door, stopping by the panel and telling me one last thing, "I wasn't kidding when I said I wouldn't let you slow me down though. I will do everything necessary to ensure the success of this mission, no matter the odds."

* * *

The whole strike force is positioned in the vehicle bay as we drop into the system. Our team is standing behind Shepard, who is kitted out in her armour - standard Alliance blue, bearing no insignia bar for a small 'N5' stenciled onto her chest. '_She must not be an N7 yet, I hadn't considered that. In fact, her own team is only composed of N3s.' _She taps on her omni-tool, and her voice rings out over the hangar, amplified through speakers "We are within the system now. Platoon leaders, mount up on your designated Kodiaks and Makos." The entire vessel shudders, catching me off-balance '_That must have been the mass accelerators firing.'_ Stepping onto our Kodiak, we close the hatch and strap ourselves in. Shepard briefs us, "We're coming in for a hot landing. Once that door opens, you run right for cover and regroup your team."

The three of us respond together, "Understood."

Shepard smiles at her squad, four other mean looking marines armed to the teeth, then looks back to us "In that case, in we drop."

Everything is quiet, then a loud _bang_ sounds and the whole shuttle jolts as we are catapulted out of the hangar. I can see the pilot in the front engaging the engines and flipping a large switch labeled 'ECM,' as the moon or Torfan comes into view through the windshield. The moon's surface is cracked and dotted with huge fires, presumably from the orbital bombardment. Missiles streak upwards from the base, screaming towards us until they are cut down by laser fire from the GARDIAN batteries from the frigates in low atmosphere. Loud _cracks_ can be heard through the walls of the Kodiak, causing us to shudder as shells fly past, striking the anti-air emplacements and deleting them from the surface.

Our mad descent stops abruptly as the pilot pulls back on the controls, flaring the nose of the shuttle and bringing us down to ground. Shepard kicks the door release, yelling "Go! Out, out, out!" I jump out the door, dropping a meter to the ground and sprinting for a low blasted wall ahead of me.

"Hydra on me!" I yell, as Sarko slams in next to me, followed by Hallie. Peeking around the cover, I see Shepard and her team advancing, assault rifles barking as they scythe through the Batarian defenders. "Back her up!" I call to them, bringing up my own M7 Lancer and putting fire on some Batarians that were firing at Shepard. My shots catch one in the throat, and he falls, clutching at his neck. One of his comrades runs to him to help, eating several bullets on the way, but his shields hold firm.

Shepard's voice crackles over our comm-links "Our main objective is to take that bunker ahead of us and set up a beach-head. Lay down suppressive fire and smoke canisters for cover." The sporadic fire from our allies around us becomes more orderly and focuses on a large concrete structure ahead of us, pouring fire through the windows and vision slits. Hallie loads up a smoke canister in her grenade launcher and fires it ahead of us, blocking the line of sight and allowing us to advance to catch up with Shepard's team.

Shepard's squad is stacked up outside the doors to the bunker, several Batarian soldiers on their knees and cuffed as well. As we come closer, I hear "..You're going to tell me the codes to this door, Batarian, or things will become difficult for you." Shepard is striding in front of them, tossing her M-3 Predator from hand to hand.

"Fuck you Human, none of us will break from simple threats of violence." A Batarian retorts.

Shepard sighs, "I suppose you're right." then lifts the pistol and shoots the prisoner next to him in the kneecaps, then twice in the gut. The injured Batarian screams out and falls onto his face, whimpering as Shepard gives a wide grin "But stomach wounds can kill very fast, and it doesn't look like your comrade is capable of walking to the medical tents. Would you agree that medi-gel would be worth some measly codes?"

The four remaining Batarians remain stoically silent, Shepard just slumping her shoulders and muttering quietly, "Don't tell me you didn't ask for it then." _Crackcrackcrack _Shepard's pistol barks out again and again. I wince, expecting a bloodbath, but instead of corpses I see the Batarians still huddled on the ground, as Shepard's pistol beeps loudly, signifying that it had overheated. '_What is she doi... OH SHIT!' _Shepard grabs the head of the nearest Batarian and shoves the red hot barrel of her Predator into one of his eye sockets, acrid smoke rising along with the Batarian's banshee screams.

"STOP!" One yells hoarsely, "I'll tell you just fucking stop please!" Shepard immediately holsters her pistol, then fixes the speaker with a stare, not saying anything. "It's Delta one niner niner," He sobs, "now please, take my team to your medics, we're prisoners of war."

Shepard smiles widely at them, saying "Of course, you'll be seen to immediately." She keys in the code to the door, clapping slowly as the panel shows a green light. Turning back to the prisoners, she says "Thompson, you were born on Mindoir weren't you? Please return the hospitality to these poor souls, they seem to be in such pain."

One of the marines, a female, takes off her helmet and moves towards the prisoners. Rolling her shoulders, she kneels down in front of them, a small tear forming in her cheek as she whispers "You know, I've waited years for this, only to find out that you aren't some big bad guys. Instead you're just sniveling and pathetic excuses for life." Bringing up her pistol, she executes each of the Batarians. As the blood begins to pool around her boots, she declares "More mercy than Mindoir ever got."

I haven't moved for a while now, Hallie has just been muttering "Fuckfuckfuckfuck" and Sarko is completely unreadable. I walk up to Shepard, gingerly avoiding the five mangled bodies lined up, and in a voice that is much shakier than I expected, I say "Shepard, a word aside please."

Shepard turns to me, fully composed, and motions toward a location away from the others. Following her, I feel anger burning inside of me. She'd just fucking massacred prisoners in cold blood, after already getting what she needed from them. Fuck the Reapers, I'd never follow a monster like that. Bringing my rage under control, I manage to calmly say four words to her; "What. In. The. Fuck."

"Do you have a problem with my methods Matt?" Her calmness sends me over the edge and I explode;

"Yes I have a fucking problem! I have a Goddamn explosives tech with me who would've blown that door! Instead you're out here committing war crimes!"

"In case you haven't noticed, we need to set up a beach-head. We can't be blowing up the very doors that we'll be using as defenses in an hour. You can't stand on moral high grounds anyway, you work for the Eclipse, selling red sand to junkies and trafficking in prostitution. I don't mind that you're unhappy with me, I'm unhappy with myself too. But if you try to interfere, I'll kill you and your whole squad." Shepard turns her back on me and walks back to her team, leaving me with hands clenched tight and a bad feeling in my gut.

* * *

The silence in here is oppressive. Shepard assigned the majority of her marines to defend the command bunker and the trenches around it, leaving the rest of us to continue underground. I haven't seen a Batarian for over ten minutes now, the last ones meeting a grisly fate at Shepard's hands. The woman herself is grim and quiet, eyes darting around, searching for danger. Approaching a set of heavy sealed doors marked with the words 'Command Centre', Shepard signals for us to come to a halt. Turning to Hallie, she says, "Think you have any explosives strong enough to breach this door?"

Hallie's voice is low and full of pent up anger; "What, don't you have any prisoners to execute this time?"

Putting a hand on her shoulder, I say "Leave it, the sooner we get this done the sooner we can get out of here."

"Fine, I'll rig them up. Give me a minute." Taking defensive positions around the door as Hallie works, my mind starts to wander; '_I can't believe Shepard did that. I mean, sure I'd played Renegade a few times in the past, but she seemed to revel in it. Then again, Shepard is much younger, the events of Mass Effect are still five years away. How am I even going to survive in this world for another month, let alone years?' _Hallie steps back, announcing "Done, everyone take cover. You know, we really should have a tech specialist with us so we can actually hack doors without just blowing them up."

Shepard gives a wry smile; "I know, I did ask command for a team from the Engineer corps, but I was told to make do with what I had and to be happy that I even got the chance to lead anyone. Anyways, let's blow this."

We cover our ears as I wonder '_Why do we not have fucking helmets?' _There is a huge _whump_ as the door is blown off its hinges. Leaping up with weapons raised, we pour into the room, scanning for targets and finding... none. Cautiously lowering my Lancer, I voice the question that everyone has to be thinking; "The fuck is going on here?"

Shepard strides over to the nearest console, pulling out an OSD. "No idea Matt, but lets get this intel then prep for extraction." Nodding, I see a pile of datapads strewn haphazardly across a central desk. Upon inspection, I see that most of them contain more of the info we are after; fleet strengths, potential targets, patrol routes in the Terminus Systems. One datapad however is password locked. '_I wonder if people still set stupid passwords in the future?' _I muse, while idly tapping on a blank section of the screen. In the corner, a pop-up appears, reading 'Password hint: No place like home.' After a few seconds of thinking, I type in the name of the Batarian home planet Kar'Shan. The datapad flashes green, bringing up a list of entries. Bringing up the most recent entry, it reads 'Balak, the Eclipse took the bait and they're coming with an Alliance strike force to Torfan. Use any means necessary to kill them, but keep the bodies intact so that we can link the mercenaries to the Alliance. Funding has been assigned to you to hire additional forces as you see fit. Attached are the account numbers and passwords. Perform well and Coulston will see you rewarded.'

This is big. I sprint over to Shepard, panting "Read this, now."

Taking the datapad from me, she frowns as she takes in the information. Looking up, she says calmly "A set up. Things are about to get complicated." Keying her omni-tool to link her to the fleet, she hails Major Kyle; "Big Bird this is Red Queen, We have secured the intel, but we have also found information leading us to believe this operation is compromised. How copy?" Nothing can be heard in return, and i can feel my stomach start to knot up. Something is very off.

A large screen crackles to life on the far wall, showing the smug face of a Batarian lounging in a chair. Chuckling, he announces "Now that I have your attention, you're probably aware that things aren't going to plan. I'd hate to deprive you of information, so I'd like you to watch this." The camera pans around, showing that it is on the bridge of a starship. From the front viewport a fleet can be seen poised above a small planet. '_No, a moon. That's Torfan and they've flanked our fleet!' _The Batarian vessel opens fire, joined by others as mass accelerator rounds rip into the Alliance fleet, blasting several frigates to pieces in the first salvo.

Shepard turns away from the screen, keying her omni-tool again. "Lieutenant Millar, status report at the beach head."

The reply is immediate, a panicked sound in the man's voice. "At least a hundred landing shuttles are coming in from orbit ma'am. We've lost tightbeam communication with the fleet too, so we can't co-ordinate any orbital strikes."

Shepard frowns, then replies "Did the garrison have a comm tower nearby? If so I'm making it your job to get in contact with the fleet. Go personally, I'll be coming up to organise the defense."

"Yes ma'am. There's one a few kilometers out, but we'll need you to keep them off of us."

Shepard turns to me, sarcastically commenting "Good thing we didn't blow up those doors huh? Double time to the surface everyone! We've got a battle to win."

* * *

Shepard had quickly realised that maintaining a static line of defense would be impossible if we were to draw attention away from Lieutenant Millar at the comm tower. Instead, she had issued an order for us to break cover and counter-attack the Batarian force as they disembarked from their shuttles. Everything had been going well, we had caught the enemy off-guard and massacred them, but the sheer weight of numbers was too much for us. Now we were in pitched battle throughout the trench network that ran around the main bunker, fighting for our lives.

Shepard throws an arm out, flaring biotics I wasn't aware that she even had, lifting an unfortunate Batarian into the air. Whipping her hand to the side, she throws him into a piece of re-bar jutting out from the wall, impaling him. Not sparing him a second glance, she moves onto the next target. It's all I can do to keep up with Shepard's rampage through enemy lines, providing suppressive fire and flushing enemies out of cover with grenades. Hallie has loaded her grenade launcher up with high explosive rounds, designed to explode on impact and she is grimly blowing foes away two at a time as Sarko darts in and out of cover, shotgun barking away. Gunfire is ripping all around us on all sides, with the entire ground force of marines with us pitched in close quarters battle with the overwhelming numbers of Batarians.

Swapping my Avenger out for my Katana shotgun, I unload into a Batarian creeping up on Shepard's squad. The rounds pierce his shields, shredding through his armour and leaving him gasping on the floor. Looking up, I see another wave of shuttles diving in from orbit. '_Shit, reinforcements are going to massacre us, they've already dropped over a thousand ground troops!' _I call out to Shepard; "More Batarian shuttles incoming! We're going to get overrun, do we have an ETA on extraction yet?"

Shepard warps the last Batarian nearby, causing him to fall screaming to the ground as his armour bubbles and is eaten away along with his nerve endings, then responds "No call from Millar yet, we're going to have to regroup with whoever we can find and hold our position." Tapping her omni-tool, she broadcasts; "Attention marines, enemy reinforcements are incoming, I'm transmitting my co-ordinates now, fall back to me so we can concentrate our firepower."

Marines start to appear in small groups, most exhausted and wounded in some way, some dragging bleeding comrades, others clutching small glinting bunches of dog tags in shaking fists. The shuttles overhead begin to land, and battle cries of charging Batarians can be heard all around us as they close in. The first ones come sprinting around corners into hails of rifle fire, perforating them before they can be dragged screaming back into cover by their comrades. The Batarians seem to learn their lesson from this, and smoke canisters start flying overhead, filling the air and impairing my vision. I'm careful not to hit my allies in the smoke, switching out to my Predator pistol in my right hand and omni-blade in my left. A Batarian charges at me out of the smoke, and I shove my omni-blade into his gut, transfixing him in place. Placing my pistol against his visor, I double tap him, causing blood to splatter the insides of his helmet.

Shepard comes sprinting past me, a small band of Marines plus Hallie and Sarko in tow. She yells; "Abandon this position! We're fighting back to the bunker!" Disengaging my omni-blade, I let the Batarian slump away from me and run alongside Sarko, covering his right side as he blasts at Batarians on his left. The bunker looms out of the smoke ahead of us and we sprint in, closing the doors behind us then shooting the keypad that opens it. Shepard's face is grim as she states "It won't hold them for long."

Shepard's omni-tool crackles to life, Lieutenant Millar's voice ringing out of it; "Shepard, I've established contact with the fleet, they've fought off most of their attackers and are poised for an orbital bombardment. Transmit the strike locations to me and I'll send them to Major Kyle."

"How many Batarians are surrounding this bunker Millar?"

"The smokes starting to clear now... You're not going to like this."

"How many Lieutenant?"

"Upwards of two thousand ma'am. Many are still fighting with marine stragglers outside of the bunker."

_'Over two thousand? How are we meant to survive this? Just looking around, there aren't more than thirty of us holed up in here.' _I feel drained, there's no way we're making it out alive. Up until now, I hadn't quite clicked that all this was fully real, I was almost relying on the plot armour attached to Shepard to get us through this. Now, surrounded and outnumbered, I realise just how foolish I am.

Shepard doesn't even hesitate in her reply; "Call in the strike right on top of my position Millar. I want the bulk of this enemy force dead and broken. Tell them to fire non-stop for five minutes, then to deploy shuttles for extraction immediately two kilometers out."

"On top of your position? Ma'am there are still survivors out.."

"NOW LIEUTENANT."

"Yes ma'am."

Several breathless seconds pass, then a faint whistle can be heard for no more than half a second. An almighty _crash _can be heard above, causing the bunker to shake and concrete dust to fall from the ceiling. More and more terrible thunderclaps sound, hammer blows raining down on the surface of Torfan. Our small band of survivors is huddled together, flinching in unison at each strike. The only exception is Shepard, who stands aside from us, head held high. After what seems like an eternity, the firing ceases and a terrible quiet settles. Shepard breaks it by announcing; "Extraction shuttles are two kilometers directly ahead of us. You've all fought bravely, this is our last push to survive. Drinks are on me back on Arcturus."

Raising her arms, Shepard flares her biotics, then pushes outwards. The dark blue light impacts the huge blast doors, warping the metal and forcing them open with a massive _crunch_ as they give way. I've never seen a show of biotics like this before, this is above and beyond anything ever seen in the games. Gripping my rifle, I sprint out after Shepard and into a brown and black blasted wasteland. The orbital fire from the fleet has devastated the moon's surface, littering it with craters, completely filling in the trenches nearby with debris. Even so, a faint cry can be heard and a force of Batarians storms over the lip of a trench some distance from us, firing wildly and screaming. '_The loss of so many comrades must have driven them to make one last charge.'_ I think to myself, before letting loose my own hoarse yell, leveling my Lancer and firing into their midst. The remaining marines follow suit and unleash a fusillade of fire that tears through the Batarian ranks.

However, the Batarians are just too many to stop, there are over a hundred of them at least, and they close the distance with us. Hallie is screaming obscenities as she unleashes a spread of grenades into them, ripping apart their frontline but barely slowing their advance. They close in with us, and I bring out my shotgun, using it as a crowd control measure to keep them off me. Out of the blue, a grenade blast tears me off my feet, throwing me to the ground. My shields are spent, I can feel blood seeping out from places all over my body. Managing to prop myself up against a dead marine, I draw my pistol and start firing at whoever is closest to me. '_There is no way I'm going down without a fight!' _A Batarian spots me just as my pistol overheats, snarling and pointing a shotgun right at my head.

At that moment, he grows a huge piece of metal shrapnel out of his chest. Bewildered, I look up as Shepard steps over his corpse, ripping the makeshift blade out of his corpse with her biotics. Three more warped metal blades float around her, suspended by dark energy. Shepard then launches herself into a biotic charge at the largest group of Batarians, blades swirling around her as they impale and slash at surprised enemies around her. She's still using her pistol too, using the blades to hamstring Batarians for easy headshot executions. Her barrier flashes loudly at the impacts of gunfire but hold firm, as the Batarians finally break in fear and run for their lives. Many are cut down by sweeping scythes of gunfire as they run, but all I really notice is Shepard's biotics falter, then fade as the blades around her crash into the ground. She's covered in an ungodly amount of blood, just standing in place. Finally, she slumps to her knees, then falls over. I can feel the blood seeping out of me still, sunlight seeping through the haze of dust and smoke, warming me and lulling me into darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: _Hey guys, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter to you, I've been real sick all week and MAY have been playing League of Legends the whole time. This chapter is more fluff/character development, mainly to wrap up the Torfan chapter of the story. I've got another cool mission arc planned out, so just you guys wait. Peace out, from Matty.

The regrown skin from my wounds still itch a little. It's a tad uncomfortable, but at least I should be thankful that medical practices are a tad more advanced now than in my time. I'm chilling out on one of the smoking decks at Arcturus station, enjoying one of my well-worn smokes from 2013. I've been holding onto them tight ever since I arrived in the Mass Effect universe, but after Torfan I feel like one is deserved.

After blacking out on Torfan, I came to on the battered SSV Everest. Our mission had been a success but at a ridiculous cost. Of the three hundred marines that had landed with us, only thirty-seven made it home. Shepard had it the easiest and the hardest at the same time, somehow she'd avoided getting wounded at all in the entire operation, but had instead fried her biotic amp in her crazy display of power to get us to the evac shuttles - not to mention the loss of so many people had to be weighing on her, no matter how cold she seemed.

Sitting here on Arcturus is the closest I've been to Earth ever since I got to this new universe. The station itself is the seat of government for the Systems Alliance, instead of back on Earth. I suppose it makes sense in a way - having the Alliance government in one nation would put bias on the whole 'representing humanity' thing. I haven't heard from Rielenne or the Eclipse yet, but we haven't been here long so I'm not too fussed. I've been bantering with a few of the marines from Torfan and apparently there are some good bars here on Arcturus, so hitting them for a night of drinks sounds pretty sweet right now.

Finishing off my cigarette, I flick the butt into a bin and make to leave the deck, spotting a small figure slouched on one of the benches on my way out. Looking again, I realise that the figure is actually Shepard, her own cigarette glowing as she takes a drag from it. Walking over to her, I comment idly "I didn't take you for a smoker Shepard. Not judging or anything, I'm probably worse for it."

She looks up at me, eyes unreadable. "Hey Matt, good to see that you made it alright. You know, I'm not on duty, so you can just call me Vanessa. Hell, you're not even military so you aren't obliged to do shit." Chuckling, she finishes her smoke, saying "Are you joining us at The Avenue tonight? I do regretfully remember offering drinks to everyone before that final charge. It's... a pity that more of us won't be here to celebrate." Her face is more downcast now, she's obviously taking the loss of so many men pretty hard.

Deciding to not let her get too down, I try to cheer her up; "None of what happened on Torfan was your fault, we were set up to fail from the start. I want to find out who this Coulston fucker is and what his connection with all this was. If it wasnt for you, we probably wouldn't have made it back at all." Pausing, I go over the contents of the datapad I found in the bunker in my head, saying out loud, "This sounds pretty paranoid, but Coulston is a human name. That means that a human wanted us all dead back there. I want to get to the bottom of this."

Shepard raises her head, looking more composed, "I already know who, now that you mention it. Nathaniel Coulston is the head of internal affairs for the Alliance. He also has had a long standing grudge against Major Kyle. It could be that he wanted to discredit Kyle with a failed operation, dead marines and the fact that we were working with mercenaries wouldn't help either. Though, to be fair, us surviving hasn't changed much, as the losses we suffered were astronomical."

"What does he have against Major Kyle that makes him want to compromise operations and get men killed?"

"Kyle banged his wife resulting in a nasty divorce, then he remarried and ensured Kyle would probably never get promoted past Major. This was years ago mind you. The final nail in the hate coffin was probably the fact that Kyle is currently known to have a very young girlfriend, nineteen in fact."

"No way..."

"Way. Kyle is banging Coulston's daughter. It's fucking hilarious, Coulston is the laughing stock of the admiralty behind closed doors."

Were politics still really this petty in the future? Maybe not much had changed at all. "Is there anything we can do to expose this?"

She smiles and shakes her head. "Not really, I'd really not appreciate being in the crosshairs for internal affairs, especially with half the stuff that went down on Torfan." Upon her mentioning it, my face darkens. "Don't give me that look, what's done is done. Plus I doubt you fully appreciate how monstrous those slavers truly were anyway. Have you ever seen what implanting a control chip does to a person? It's not pleasant."

Sitting down next to Shep..Vanessa, I sigh "You're right, but I just wasn't... ready for all that shit on Torfan. I do have a question though, how come you didn't use your biotics at all until the very end when shit got crazy?"

Vanessa glances away from me, saying "I'd rather not talk about it. Let's just leave it at that I prefer to stick to normal weaponry."

Damn, I wasn't aware that it was a touchy subject. "My bad, I'll drop it. Moving on though, it's getting late. You gonna show me where this bar is?"

A smile returns to her face as she jokes, "Sure, I'll drink you under the table Matt, so long as I don't have to dance."

'_At least some things are still the same.'_

* * *

The future still has Jägerbombs, praise the lord. Slamming one down the hatch, I turn to Hallie '_Who is looking mighty fi – shut up Matt.' _and say, "I'm glad you made it out of there, it'd suck to be stuck on this station with just Sarko being all moody and shit."

Hallie doesn't even bother to return my banter; "I dunno, I'd rather not be here with Shepard at all. That bitch is a murderer. Plain and simple, I don't see why you've somehow forgiven her all of a sudden." She clenches a fist around her drink, a small crack forming in the glass "No one should have made it off Torfan, least of all her." She sculls the rest of her drink, snarling "I'm done for the night, come find me tomorrow when I'm in a better mood."

I watch Hallie stalk out of the bar, thinking over what she said. '_Sure Vanessa did some real bad things there, but that's the world we live in now. This isn't the clear-cut adventure that we played through in the video games.' _A very intoxicated figure slams down next to me at the bar and I see that it's Corporal Thompson, the Mindoir survivor that executed the Batarian prisoners. She turns to me and slurs, "Wassup Owens! Good to see you made it off that fucking rock too. Then again, none of us would have made it home without Shepard." Sobering up her speech a little, she continues "I'd never actually seen Shepard use her biotics in the two years I'd been serving under her. She was fucking scary man, I wonder if Asari are even more powerful than that."

Thinking back on the games and my time in Illium, I'd never seen anyone manipulate biotics like that. Speaking up, I say "I've been based on Illium for six months prior to this mission, and no Asari has anything similar to that. I mean, sure there are massive warps or singularities, but Shepard was individually controlling those blades. With ruthless efficiency too." Reaching for my glass, I remember that it's empty. Flagging the barkeeper down I call for another. Turning back to Thompson, I continue; "Enough about Torfan though, that shit pops into my memory far too much for comfort. How about... I get your actual name?"

She giggles, cheeks rosy from all the drinking "It's Amy. Amy Thompson."

I lean back in my chair. "You know, I had a good friend a long time ago called Amy."

She playfully swats me on the arm. "Why, do I remind you of her?"

I nearly snort my drink out my nose, "Fuck no! She was obnoxious and a hell of a lot shorter than you." Setting down my drink, I give a small sigh "It's just that I left a lot of friends behind when I left home. And I don't think I'll be going back any time soon."

Amy looks genuinely interested, asking "Why not, can't you get home or something?"

I laugh, surprised at her accuracy. "You know, you're more correct than you think. Going home isn't really an option for me at the moment, so I can only look forward ."

A round of cheers and calls come from behind us. Turning, I see Shepard down four shots in a row of what looks like vodka (Or gin but fuck that really). Another marine is facing off against her and manages to do three, but bitches out and runs to the bathroom with his hands clamped over his mouth. Chuckling, I say "Bet you can't do more shots than me."

Amy looks indignant, spouting "Matt, I'm in the fucking Navy. Bring it on kiddo."

"Kiddo? You're like twenty-five at most, I'm not that much younger. Whatever old-timer, you're on. Bartender, you got any Russian Standard? Platinum? Fuck yeah." I smile wickedly, when it comes to vodka, I'm pretty set. Giving Amy a cold stare, I lay down the rules; "Line up six shots, finish them all without spilling any. Whoever finishes first and can last ten minutes without tossing up or doesn't toss at all wins."

Lining them up, the bartender counts down for us and we get started. '_Fuuuuuck she's keeping up pretty well. I'm gonna win though, easy.' _Tossing the last two back, I let forth a loud "Fuuuck that was harsher than I remember." Amy finishes hers almost right after mine, shaking her head and leaning into me. "Shit you're not bad."

I can feel my higher control starting to slip from me, the vodka taking its toll. I find myself with my arm around her as she nuzzles her face into my neck, mumbling "You smell pretty good."

"I should hope so, I did have a shower before I came here. You know, you smell pretty good yourself." God, my mind is so numbed that I can't offer much more than inane conversation. Somehow, I find my face close to Amy's, our noses almost touching. '_Aw fuck it, just hook up with her already.' _My drunk mind tells me, and who am I to say no? Leaning in, I kiss her full on the lips. Amy responds in kind and we sit making out for almost a minute.

A loud cough and heavy hand on my shoulder pull me out of the kiss. Turning round, I see Shepard standing there with arms folded, giving a Cheshire Cat grin. She laughs and says to us, "God, you guys. Get a room why don't you? All this heavy PDA is weirding out the bar staff."

Amy gets a mischievous look in her eye, saying "Good idea Commander!" Looking at me, she goes on "I guess we should... Get a room then?"

Fuck, who am I to say no to a good-looking woman? Taking her hand, I respond "Sure, lead the way."

Shepard stands there dumbfounded and calls out after us, "I meant to split you guys up, not become a fucking matchmaker for you two!" Shaking her head and turning back to the rest of the gathered marines, she challenges them, "Anyone else want to get wrecked drink for drink? I though not, so stop snickering."


End file.
